Man who shot at Clay Twp. police in 2018 pleads guilty

CLAY TWP. — A man accused of shooting at Clay Twp. police in November 2018 and then leading officers on a chase and that ended in gunfire pleaded guilty Thursday.

Aaron Mitchell, 42, of Brookville, was convicted of two counts of felonious assault, two counts failure to comply with order or signal of police officer and one count discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, according to Montgomery County court records.

He’s scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 27 and could face nearly 30 years in prison.

On Nov. 30, 2018, Mitchell reportedly fired 10 shots at the Clay Twp. administrative building on Arlington Road, which houses the police department.

When police exited the building and approached him, Mitchell fled in a car.

No one was injured in the building.

Police pursued Mitchell as he drove into Clayton.

The chase ended after Mitchell ran over a tire deflation device on North Diamond Mill Road placed by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper.

Police said Mitchell pointed a gun at officers, who then shot him three times.

Messages and comments on Mitchell’s social media page alluded to death by police, officers said.

“Upon further investigation a Facebook post was located on Aaron Mitchell’s Facebook account stating ‘welp my mind says I’m going to break a bunch of laws and then chased by the cops lol’,” according to documents filed in court. “Mitchell also has made comments that the best way to go is by cop and that if he wanted to die he could do death by cop.”

Mitchell was indicted on charges in December.

He was released on bond in January 2019 briefly, but was booked into jail again after the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office motioned that he be held without bond.

The motion argued that Mitchell “is a danger to police and the community,” that he lives within 1,000 feet of a school, and that he narrowly missed shooting a police officer.

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